By Michael Ramsay

MIDDLESBROUGH head coach Aitor Karanka is not thinking beyond today’s trip to Reading, despite a hectic week which saw the club draw Manchester City in the FA Cup fourth round.

Boro travel to the Madjeski Stadium, who remain unbeaten under new boss Steve Clarke, looking to add another three points and Karanka is adamant about where his focus will be.

“When you see the Man City squad, they have 30 unbelievable players,” he said. “Now we have Reading and Huddersfield before Man City, and we will have time to think about Man City later on.

“I will decide my team for the Etihad the day before, and the players who are best for that game will be the players who play.”

With the Teessiders continuing their fine run of form at Oakwell last week, the Spaniard was buoyed by the performance but feels there is still room for improvement.

Goals from Jelle Vossen and Daniel Ayala secured the Riverside club’s passage into the next round, but the dismissal of Adam Clayton in the second half threatened their progress.

Having lamented his side’s wastefulness in front of goal after the game, the former Real Madrid assistant has once again underlined the importance of taking their chances.

He said: “I think the last game against Barnsley was good for us to learn because again, we could have beaten them in the first half 3-0 or 4-0 easy, but then had they scored the foul when Clayton was sent off we would have been in trouble,” he warned.

“We need to learn and score the opportunities we have. Our thinking now is Reading, not Barnsley. They beat us last game (at the Riverside) and the game last season when we played there, so we know we’re going to be playing against a good team.

“I don't think it will be difficult (to switch from FA Cup to league) as we have had all week to prepare, the players know it's a different competition and we are playing really well.

“We've shown everyone we're a compact team and a consistent team. It is difficult to score goals past us and we have a lot of quality up front.”

The Boro boss will have Albert Adomah among the ranks for the game today, having been omitted from Ghana’s African Cup of Nations squad.

The 27-year-old signed on at the Riverside in 2013 and has proven a valuable asset, bagging 15 goals in his 65 appearances for the club.

Having already lost Emilio Nsue for the month as he leaves with the Equatorial Guinea squad, Karanka has expressed relief to have one of his stars back and available to him.

“It was very big news because Albert is not just a good player,” he said. “Everyone knows the player he is, but he’s a very important player for us in the changing room and the training session. He’s a winner and I like him, and it’s good news for us.”